Four weeks from now, we will know the make up of the next provincial government. At the moment, the polls would indicate we will be switching over to a New Democratic government with Adrian Dix as premier.
The polls would indicate it isn't much of a horse race with the New Democrats being a sure bet.
However, a lot can happen during an election campaign, so a small wager on the Liberals with good odds might be in order.
My personal preference in politics is usually to the "right" side of the spectrum supporting whoever favours free enterprise and limited government. So I should support John Cummins's Conservative Party if they ran a candidate in Delta South.
After all, I voted for John in the last five or six federal elections that he ran in. But the B.C. Conservatives won't run a candidate in Delta South out of respect for our independent incumbent Vicki Huntington. The Green Party is also being respectful and will not run a candidate against Huntington.
That leaves us with a three-way race in Delta South with long-time councillor Bruce McDonald running for the Liberals and Nic Slater carrying the NDP banner.
Last time around Wally Oppal ran for the Liberals in an extremely close election, which he lost to Huntington by a handful of votes.
In that election the new power lines through Tsawwassen was a very hot issue and no doubt led to Oppal's loss.
Huntington's shtick is that she represents the citizens of Delta South and not the party under whose banner she might have run. This election there isn't a burning local issue the Liberals have to overcome. They must feel the a lowering of anti-government emotion and a strong candidate with a proven vote getting record can overcome the loss of support they had last time around.
However, I think the Liberals are saddled with a leader who is doing them more harm than good. Having Christy Clark as premier for four years fills me with dread. Delta South will be a difficult riding to call and will probably be one of the tighter races come election night.
Our friends beyond the bog in Delta North should also have a good battle. With incumbent Guy Gentner deciding not to run again, two Delta councillors are facing off against each other with Sylvia Bishop running for the New Democrats and Scott Hamilton for the Liberals. Whichever way that riding goes, we are going to be down one councillor. We just don't know which one yet.
Whatever the election results, we should be grateful to all those who have put their names forward. Without them, democracy just wouldn't work. If you would like to see the candidates up close and personal, the Delta Optimist is holding an all-candidates meeting in conjunction with the Delta Chamber of Commerce at the Delta Town & Country Inn at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.
